Description

`The Future of Drug Discovery: Who decides which diseases to treat?` provides a timely and detailed look at the efforts of the pharmaceutical industry and how they relate, or should relate, to societal needs. The authors posit that as a result of increasing risk aversion and accelerated savings in research and development, the industry is not developing drugs for increasingly prevalent diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, untreatable pain, antibiotics and more. This book carefully exposes the gap between the medicines and therapies we need and the current business path. By analyzing the situation and discussing prospects for the next decade, the `The Future of Drug Discovery` is a timely book for all those who care about the development needs for drugs for disease.
This thought-provoking book is the first to: provide an in-depth, broad perspective on the crisis in drug industry; expose the disconnect between what society needs and what the drug companies are working on; analyse and project over 10 years into the future; explain what it means for scientists and society; and determine what is needed to be done to make sure that the industry responds to society's needs, remains commercially attractive and answers the question as to who decides which diseases to treat.show more

Review Text

"This book reviews in exquisite detail the drug development process from the initial inception of an idea through the life cycle of a new drug entity. The authors also spend an appropriate amount of time on the role of government-funded research programs along with the role of medium and small biotechnology companies in the drug treatment of diseases.Summing Up: Highly recommended." --CHOICE Reviews Online, December 2013

"Bartfai and Lees describe the looming crisis in health care.They target society in general as their audience, because of the need for the public to understand what is happening and why they should be concerned. The book is a compendium of data and analysis and there are many tables and figures supporting the text." --Reference and Research Book News, August 2013

"This is an extraordinary, insightful and provocative book that should be read by all those concerned by the progress of biomedicine, from scientists to politicians." --Jean-Pierre Changeux, Collège de France and l'Institut Pasteur

"Bartfai and Lees raise critical issues confronting the search for new medicines. Their analysis is cogent, and their proposals thoughtful and thought provoking. For anyone curious about where new medicines come from, and what it will take for the BioPharma industry to bring new treatments to patients with Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, depression, cancer, and more, this is a must read." --Michael D. Ehlers, Senior VP Pfizer and CSO Neuroscience, former Howard Hughes Investigator, Duke University

"This book is a must read for students, prescribing physicians, academic and industry researchers, analysts, patient groups, business and science journalists, and importantly, Policy Makers. More than ever before, drug development is a complex scientific, industrial and societal endeavour that needs the combined attention of Governments, Academics and Big Pharma; it cannot be left to Wall Street alone." --Daniel Hoyer, Chair, Department of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, former Novartis Leading Scientistshow more

Review quote

`This book reviews in exquisite detail the drug development process from the initial inception of an idea through the life cycle of a new drug entity. The authors also spend an appropriate amount of time on the role of government-funded research programs along with the role of medium and small biotechnology companies in the drug treatment of diseases.Summing Up: Highly recommended.`--CHOICE Reviews Online, December 2013 `Bartfai and Lees describe the looming crisis in health care.They target society in general as their audience, because of the need for the public to understand what is happening and why they should be concerned. The book is a compendium of data and analysis and there are many tables and figures supporting the text.`--Reference and Research Book News, August 2013 `A remarkable compendium of hard data and wise prescription for the pharmaceutical industry.`--Michael S. Brown, 1985 Novel Laureate in Medicine or Physiology, UT Southwestern Medical Center `This is an extraordinary, insightful and provocative book that should be read by all those concerned by the progress of biomedicine, from scientists to politicians.` - Jean-Pierre Changeux, Coll ge de France and l'Institut Pasteur `Bartfai and Lees raise critical issues confronting the search for new medicines. Their analysis is cogent, and their proposals thoughtful and thought provoking. For anyone curious about where new medicines come from, and what it will take for the BioPharma industry to bring new treatments to patients with Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, depression, cancer, and more, this is a must read.` - Michael D. Ehlers, Senior VP Pfizer and CSO Neuroscience, former Howard Hughes Investigator, Duke University `This book is a must read for students, prescribing physicians, academic and industry researchers, analysts, patient groups, business and science journalists, and importantly, Policy Makers. More than ever before, drug development is a complex scientific, industrial and societal endeavour that needs the combined attention of Governments, Academics and Big Pharma; it cannot be left to Wall Street alone.` - Daniel Hoyer, Chair, Department of Pharmacology, University of Melbourne, former Novartis Leading Scientistshow more

About Dr. Graham V. Lees

Tamas Bartfai was a student of mathematics, physics, and chemistry before translating his skills into biochemistry, pharmacology and neuroscience. Trained in Stockholm University, Yale University, and The Rockefeller University, he is presently a professor at The Scripps Research Institute, the University Oxford, and the University of Pennsylvania, and an expert in medicinal chemistry and the neurological sciences. He has been working in the development of new medicines and vaccines for many years as a former Sr.VP of Hoffmann La Roche, and long-term consultant at Astra, Novartis and, presently, Pfizer. Eight of the drugs Dr. Bartfai developed are in clinical use and three are in trials. He has trained and collaborated with many scientists throughout his scientific work on the topics of fever, neuropeptides, and prostaglandins, while publishing over 400 articles in over 80 journals. Dr. Bartfai has held many prestigious academic positions. He is a member of Academia Europae and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, a fellow of AAAS for pioneering work on neuropeptides, and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prizes in Chemistry and Physics. He was professor of the Karolinska Institute, which awards the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology. He has been awarded a number of prestigious prizes including E tv s Medal for mathematics in 1966, Budapest, Hungary; Royal Swedish Academy's Svedberg Prize for biochemistry in 1985 and Ericsson Prize in 1996; and the Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar Award 2002. Graham V Lees acquired his BA, MA and PhD degrees at the University of Cambridge. His postdoctoral work on the biophysics of ion channels was followed by a lengthy career in scientific, technical and medical publishing with Elsevier (Amsterdam), Raven Press (New York), Academic Press (San Diego & London) and TheScientificWorld (San Diego, Boynton Beach, Newbury & Helsinki). His scientific writing has been actively increasing, including contributions to the textbook Fundamental Neuroscience; co-editing with Edward G. Jones and Lorne Mendell, and contributing to Neuroscience to Neurological Recovery for the Society for Neuroscience (SfN); and co-authoring The Future of Drug Discovery: Who Decides Which Diseases to Treat and Drug Discovery: From Bedside to Wall Street with Tamas Bartfai. He is interested in politics and social aspects of drug discovery. He has a profound ability to translate complex processes and ideas into more simple English that can be widely read. The authors' previous book Drug Discovery: from Bedside to Wall Street, Elsevier/Academic Press, 2006, has been published in Japanese (Chem-Bio Informatics Society) and Mandarin (Science Press). Their later book's Japanese and Mandarin editions are in preparation.show more

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